Sunday Morning Chowdown

Epicurean Delicatessen Caffe

1898 First Ave. West (at Cypress)

604-731-5370

Some friends were leaving town, so they wanted to go to their favourite brunch place, the Epicurean Delicatessen Caffe, one last time. There’s a lot going for the Epicurean, above and beyond having the Most Gorgeous Man Ever on their waitstaff. It’s also very stylish, the coffee’s amazing, the item names are hard to pronounce and it has a nice patio. This is a very European joint.

Given this wasn’t your regular bacon-and-eggs place, I thought I should be adventurous and order something I couldn’t find elsewhere.

I found a dish that fit this objective: the Vova alla Fiorentina. It consisted of eggs cooked in Bechamel sauce with pancetta, grilled asparagus and bocconcini. Not your everyday brunch, by any means. Bechamel is one of the four “mother sauces” in French cuisine, so – independent from the pleasure of the meal that at least it would be gustatorily educational.

I had expected a little bowl of sauce with eggs, and everything else on the side. Instead, I got a pan with a pool of sauce. This was too much even for me.

It came with pancetta (a fancy Italian version of bacon) and grilled asparagus on top. The bocconcini (soft, white cheese that come in little balls), which had been cooked in the Bechamel, was lost in the sea of sauce. While all of the individual ingredients were delicious, together they overwhelmed the senses. But it’s my own damn fault; I probably should have stuck to something a little less ambitious.

My advice to you, the brunch enthusiast, is that unless you know what you’re doing (which I clearly didn’t and don’t), stick to something familiar the first time you hit the Epicurean. My companions’ omelettes and frittata looked great. Breakfast comes with multigrain toast, ciabatta or rosemary focaccia, all of which are delicious. And the coffee is incredible, the best west of Commercial.

If the main course hadn’t been so rich, I may have finished off with one of the decadent pastries they offer. Instead, having finished a plate of rich sauce and feeling like a sweaty blimp, I came face to face with the previously mentioned Most Gorgeous Man Ever, all svelte and radiant. It didn’t help my digestion.

Price: $15 (including americano and tip)
Lineup: A couple minutes
Vegetarian options: Yes
Soy milk: Yes